You are here

NSO users can now undertake 3-colour observations

We are delighted to announce that 3-colour imaging is now available to NSO schools. In recent years, users were only able to request images of astronomical objects in one part of the visual spectrum or colour, with the resulting image appearing black and white when viewed in LTImage. However, by providing users with the facility to request images of the same target through three different filters, those images can now be combined in LTImage to produce a representative (approximate) colour image of the object being observed.

This is a very exciting development because it allows users to see the Universe in its full glory, whilst also drawing closer attention to the physics, and even chemistry, that is contained within the images being returned from the Liverpool Telescope.

As the ideas surrounding 3-colour imaging can sometimes appear tricky, we have developed a number of resources to guide users through the process of requesting, creating and analysing 3-colour observations. These resources include two video screencasts, some guidance notes and an informative practical workshop, which can be found at the following link:

We would suggest undertaking the workshop before requesting 3-colour observations in anger, but the associated observing programme is now live and can be found through the Advanced Imaging option of Go Observing.